


Unexpected Joy

by astudyinfic



Category: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: 00Q - Freeform, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-23 03:03:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4860590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Q thinks he is doing James a favour when he flees after finding out he is pregnant, setting him free, but Bond has other ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fear

**Author's Note:**

> Started as a drabble in my 00Q headcanon and prompt thread but grew into something more due to some prodding from a few loyal readers. You can still find the first chapter in the other fic.

James Bond was the least likely person in the world to settle down and have a family.  Q knew this, all the other agents knew this.  Most likely all the marks knew this.  James was the love them and leave them type, enjoying the bachelor lifestyle and not looking to make any changes to it.  Q still wondered how their clandestine relationship had lasted as long as it had but chalked it up to Bond enjoying the secretive nature of it more than the company he shared.  Double oh agents all enjoyed a good mystery.

But with this knowledge, Q faced a choice.  Disappear and leave behind not only his promising career in espionage but also a man he had come to love, even if the other would never return the sentiment.  The other option was to tell Bond, to explain what happened.  Disappearing was certainly the easier option.  Less discomfort that way, plus Q was certain he could disappear to the point that 007 would never be able to find him.  

 _He deserves to know_ , Q’s brain supplied unhelpfully.  And deep down, he knew it was true.  James Bond may have hundreds of children in the world - god knows he had to have had at least that many partners - but even if he knew of none of the others, Q would make sure he knew about this one. If only for Q’s integrity if not Bond’s peace of mind.

But how to tell him?  It wasn’t unheard of for a man to get pregnant.  It had been known to happen but Q had been on suppressants to prevent this very thing.  Med would be getting a piece of his mind, he knew that but that didn’t change the fact that right now, his and Bond’s child was growing in his belly.

The romantic part of him, small and kept tamped down at almost all times, told Q that maybe Bond would love the idea of a child, the two of them would raise their baby together and they could be a family.  But Bond loved his job and family life and espionage did not go well together.  Only Tanner managed it and that was because he wasn’t in the field.  Bond wouldn’t give it up and Q wouldn’t ask him to.

He could just vanish.  There were places he could go, even in the country, where Bond would never look for him.  Raise the child on his own and never tell them about their other father.  The idea of giving up the baby never even crossed his mind.  Q had wanted a family all his life and only the job at MI6 kept him firmly on the suppressants.  Now that it had happened, he wasn’t going to question it.  This was his chance and if he had to lose his job, that was something he would deal with.

In the end, he decided to vanish.  Q’s heart could take the look of disgust or pity on Bond’s face and he didn’t want everyone else staring at him as he got larger, wondering who had gotten him pregnant and why they weren’t there now.  Everything taken care of at work, Q gave the branch one last look before slipping out the door, acting for all the world as if he would be back the next morning.

His things were packed, already in the car he kept for when travel was absolutely necessary.  With one hand on his belly, he walked through the empty flat that had been his home for so many years.  In the bedroom, he left a note where his bed had been.  Bond would find it there, Q was certain.  No one else at MI6 knew where he lived so it would be safe.  

_James,_

_I am sure my absence is a bit of a surprise but please know I did it for you.  I didn’t want to leave you with a choice that I didn’t think you should have to make.  I made it for you, freeing you from any responsibility in this situation._

_I’m pregnant._

_I know how important your career is to you and a child and husband would just weigh you down.  I am not asking you to give any of that up.  Continue on as you were before.  I’m sure R will make a wonderful Q.  You can trust her with your life.  I do._

_While I know it is not likely, I am leaving you this key.  It opens the door to my new home.  Find it, and you are welcome in our lives at any time.  But if I never see you again, I will understand.  Parenthood was something I always wanted and as much as I love you (and I do, in case you didn’t know), I won’t give this up._

_Take care, Bond.  Know that I will think of you every day, when our child looks at me with your eyes and smiles your smile.  I will protect them and love them and they will be safe._

_I will miss you, James.  Maybe we will meet again._

_Until then, always yours,_

_-Q_

Two weeks later, in a home just outside Leeds, Q heard a knock on the door.


	2. Acceptance

Bond didn’t fall in love.  Bond didn’t feel anything for any of the people he took to his bed.  It was what made him such a good agent.  Getting involved without losing himself emotionally, when the time came to cut ties, there was nothing to hold him back.  He was the best for a reason.

Q was a means to an end.  After a particularly stressful mission both men had energy to burn and so Bond had taken him in his office, just meters from all the technicians outside the door.  Q took him in so easily, lips parted and cheeks flushed and for a brief moment, Bond felt a flare of something deep in his chest.  If he had pounded into the other hard and left in a hurry, that was only due to M needing to speak with him and not James trying to flee.

It was weeks before they would come together again.  Q was teetering on his feet, near collapse already when he mumbled something about catching the tube home.  Bond pictured a hundred different scenarios where that ended badly and insisted on taking Q home instead.  And when they got inside the door, Q’s arms wrapped around James’ neck and manhandled him into bed, only to fall asleep moments later, using Bond’s chest as a pillow.  The next morning Bond had fucked him hard, proving that this was just about sex and not because he cared for the other.

The relationship continued like this, Q giving as Bond took then ran away.  In many ways it was like their working relationship but Bond liked to believe Q got something from this arrangement as well, other than broken tech and a Bond-sized headache.  It worked for them.

Returning from Bangladesh, covered in a few scratches but otherwise unharmed, Bond thought nothing of going directly to Q’s flat.  A quick call to Q-Branch had told him that Q had gone home for the day so that was where James intended to go to.  Falling into bed with his Quartermaster had become a pleasant habit for 007 and he had no intention of stopping now.  Or so he thought until he opened the door to be greeted by a completely open room.  

Weapon in hand, he moved silently through the flat, even though he could tell no one was there.  Reaching the bedroom, the note remained and Bond would deny the trembling in his hands when he picked it up.   _Pregnant_.  The word stood out to him.  Q had never mentioned he had that ability, not that Bond had ever given him reason to.  He wore a condom every time, it was for Q’s safety after all.  They didn’t need to have that conversation.  But apparently they did.  

 _Love_.   ** _Love_**?  No one had ever loved Bond.  Vesper said the words but in the end, he found them to be a lie.  Q could be lying as well but why would he?  What did he stand to gain from telling Bond that.  It seemed obvious from the note that Q wanted nothing from him that Bond wasn’t willing to give.  So like Q to give without expectation of return.  Bond sat on the carpeted floor and read the note again and again, turning the key over in his hand until the room grew dark and cold.  

Three days passed and Bond was dismayed to find that Q was in his thoughts constantly.  What was he doing?  Was he feeling alright?  How was their child?  Did he miss me?  The thoughts rattled through his head like gunfire and he felt powerless to stop it.  “I’ll find him, make sure he is alright, then I will be able to move on,” James told himself.  He was only worried because he couldn’t see for himself that Q was safe.  

It took a week to find him, something Bond considered impressive.  Not many could hide from 007 when he put his mind to it and Q had proven to be a challenge.  Not that he wasn’t always.  Any time Bond learned something about Q, he considered it a success and basked in his victory.  He was certain he knew more about the Quartermaster than anyone else at MI6, a fact which made him quite proud.

The house Q had chosen could only be described as quaint.  A small cottage surrounded by shrubbery and a white picket fence.  A home so normal it seemed improper for a man as extraordinary as Q to be living there.  And yet, Bond could picture it now, the two of them living in the house, their child playing in the yard.  The thought pained his heart and he realized the truth.  Q was in love with James.  But James was also completely in love with Q.  

And Q wasn’t there.

The decision was made before Bond consciously realized it.  Resignation submitted, home gutted of anything of importance, James through the few possessions he had into his Aston and drove north, thoughts only on the man who waited for him at the end of the journey.  Pulling in front of the house, Bond gave himself a moment to look it over.  Q’s Corsa was parked on the street so he knew Q was home.  

What would he say?  Should he let himself in?  Q had left a key but it seemed impolite.  Bond didn’t know if he was welcome or not, regardless of the words in the letter which remained folded up in his jacket pocket.  With a deep breath, Bond left the security of his car to face the most intimidating conversation of his life.  One that meant more to him than any life or death situation he had found himself in prior.  Because Q was life to him, the only life that seemed worth living.

With a knock on the door, Bond held his breath.  The key was gripped tight in his fist as he forced himself to relax as best he could.  But when the door opened and Q stood there in front of him, he found himself at a loss for words.  

Thankfully, the quartermaster always knew what Bond needed and he smiled and stepped aside to let him in.  “Hello, James,” the words were soft and warm, like stepping into a bath after a cold day.  “Welcome home.”

  
  



	3. Celebration

_ ~ 10 months later ~ _

Domesticity suited James Bond in a way no one would have believed possible.  A sense of calm had come over him over the past few months, watching as Q (who would always be Q to him, regardless of his status within MI6) had grown round with their child and eventually given birth via cesarean section to a beautiful baby boy.  He had Q’s hair, Bond’s eyes and was practically perfect in every way.  Bond had never seen a more wonderful child, though he firmly denied he was biased at all.

As Q lie in bed recovering, their newborn son in the cot next to his bed, James had lost his breath when Q looked up at him and said, “We should name him after your father.  Andrew Bond.  I like it, don’t you?”  The look on Q’s face, so open and trusting (probably due to the medication for pain he was on), only melted James’ heart more and he bent to press a kiss to his lover’s cheek and then to the head of their son.  Andrew.

Bond and Q learned many things during their first few months together.  Q was the last one to bed, no matter what.  Regardless of how tired the last few months of the pregnancy had made him, he would stay up until all hours coding or reading.  Nothing Bond did coaxed him into bed until just before sunrise.  James on the other hand was always the first one up, usually not long after Q had finally fallen asleep.  At first, years of military and MI6 training had him out of bed and running the moment the sun rose but slowly he began to appreciate the feeling of lying in bed, Q sleeping soundly next to him, soft snores the only noise in their quite bedroom. 

Q, it turned out, was an atrocious cook.  Bond shuddered to think what their child would have grown up eating if he had not appeared on Q’s doorstep.  For a man who could make explosive devices the size and shape of a pen, he was hopeless in the kitchen.  After the third night of burnt pans from Q boiling water and then forgetting about it, James declared the kitchen a Q free zone and took over all cooking duties for himself.  The smoky smell that had permeated the small cottage since his arrival began to dissipate and both men were much happier as a result.

On occasion, James would find himself missing his old life.  The tuxedos hung in the back of the closet, traded in favour of jeans and pullovers.  No longer was he jet-setting around the globe, mingling with the classiest and sometimes seediest people in the world.  Martinis were no longer his drink of choice, preferring instead a strong cup of coffee or the occasional brandy at the end of the day.  And yet, while he did occasionally miss the glitz and glamour, when he would look across the room to see Q curled up on the sofa, book resting on his large belly, James knew that he would never have found this peace anywhere else.

After Andrew was born, James took on every responsibility he could.  He was involved in everything from changing nappies to feeding time.  And while both of them alternated who took the nights, when their boy would cry the moments the lights went out, it was often Bond who would sleep in the plush chair in their living room, Andrew cradled happily on his father’s chest. 

On one of those nights, when Q found the bed just too empty without James there, he sat in the room with James, watching their baby sleep peacefully.  “When I found out,” he started softly, keeping his voice low so as to not wake Andrew.  “When I found out I was pregnant, I never thought that you would be here for this.”  James couldn’t blame him though he must not have done well at hiding the small amount of hurt he felt at the comment.  “Andrew and I are blessed that you chose this thought,” Q hurried to add.

Looking down at his son, the tuft of wild black hair swirling off his head in a way so reminiscent of Q, James smiled.  “I didn’t know I wanted this.  I lost my own parents when I was very young.  M was the closest thing I had to family and she turned me into a hired killer rather than tell me that this sort of life was still an option.  If it wasn’t for you, I would never have known.”  Looking up at Q, his blue eyes shining with sincerity, James smiled.  “I should be thanking you.  You not only gave life to Andrew, but you gave life to me as well.” 

“Maybe giving up a promising career in espionage was the right choice.”  Q smiled as he perched himself on the arm of James’ chair.  He ran a hand over their son’s head, before bending to give James a gentle kiss.  “There are more important things in life than ‘Queen and Country’, don’t you think love?  Come back to bed.  Andrew can sleep with us.”

Together, the family of three padded back to their bedroom and to their happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a ridiculously fluffy fic and I want to thank those who prodded me to write it. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. -J


End file.
